Rockbank’s Woodlea estate features a range of sporting and playground amenities.
KEEPING fit and healthy in the suburbs is not easy these days, especially considering homes have become palaces of in-house entertainment ...

Health and wellbeing are part of the blueprint for many of Melbourne’s new housing estates

Rockbank’s Woodlea estate features a range of sporting and playground amenities.

KEEPING fit and healthy in the suburbs is not easy these days, especially considering homes have become palaces of in-house entertainment and we drive almost everywhere.

Developers know this, too.

Many of the new communities are at least 20km from the CBD, which increases residents’ reliance on cars to access local shops and the CBD.

In a bid to prevent this trend — and to reverse the perception of estates as urban outposts accessible only by the family station wagon — developers are pouring a huge amount of money into health and wellbeing initiatives.

Through on-site fitness centres and wellness clubs, pocket parks that residents can walk to, and train stations right on residents’ doorsteps, communities are evolving into fully serviced lifestyle hubs.

“Our residents are never very far from a park or green open space where they can connect with nature and with each other,” noted Peet general manager Brendan Gore.

“Connection is a big part of wellbeing and, in new residential communities, we do that in two ways: by physically making it easier to connect with pathways, cycleways, public-transport links and by providing places and infrastructure where people can meet up with friends and family outside their home, but within their own community.”

Planning for success

For many developers, the emphasis on a healthy and active lifestyle is born out of their own resident surveys and research.

A recently released five-year VicHealth study at Stockland’s Selandra Rise community, in Clyde North, for example, looked at how the design and planning of a new residential community can improve the health and wellbeing of residents.

“The survey study found early delivery of public transport, a community centre and diverse parks had positive impacts on residents’ health and wellbeing,” said Mike Davis, Stockland general manager of Victoria residential.

“So we know that good neighbourhood design can contribute to the health and wellbeing of residents. It is about making communities liveable.”

Intrapac Property chief operating officer Maxwell Shifman said buyers were becoming much more demanding of the full lifestyle package.

“In land estates, buyers have certainly become more savvy about buying from reputable developers in good locations, and appreciating the benefits that come with quality urban design and healthy living,” Mr Shifman said.

Intrapac’s newest development in Torquay, Quay 2, is located 1.2km from the water, and the streets have been designed to face the ocean.

“Kids at Quay 2 will be up and out of the house all year round, with walking and cycling paths leading from home to the local playgrounds, into town and straight to the beach,” Mr Shifman said.

“The well-connected location makes growing up healthy easy.”

The great outdoors

A big part of developers’ commitment to healthy living is ensuring all of their estates have open spaces that residents can walk to.

Mr Gore said more residents were making the most of the shared spaces in their communities and choosing smaller, more affordable and easier-to-maintain backyards.

“These parks and open spaces are designed as a kind of communal backyard with places to get active and also relax, with parklands, waterways, walking and cycling trails, barbecues, shelters, and play equipment,” Mr Gore said.

One of Peet’s communities in Melbourne’s north, Aston, in Craigieburn, is proving a popular choice among buyers seeking an active lifestyle.

“The estate will feature more than 20ha of public open space including the 8ha Aston Fields, which is now under construction, with three soccer fields, a cricket oval, kick-to-kick areas and a planned sports pavilion,” Mr Gore said.

“There will also be parks with adventure playgrounds, barbecue and picnic areas.”

An artist’s impression of Cornerstone estate, with its network of waterways, boardwalks and crossings.

Peet’s Cornerstone, in Werribee, meanwhile, will feature 5ha of waterways with boardwalks and crossings, “creating idyllic places to get away from it all”, Mr Gore said.

At Central Equity Land’s Featherbrook estate, in Point Cook, open parklands make up more than a quarter of the community, and include recreation areas and playgrounds.

“There are many kilometres of picturesque walking and bike trails meandering through the estate,” Central Equity Land marketing manager Jeremy Vile said.

Open parkland makes up more than a quarter of Featherbrook estate.

Work it!

Fitness stations and outdoor and indoor exercise classes are now the norm at estates.

The Featherbrook Community Centre, for example, offers yoga, dance, art and chess classes.

At Peet’s Cornerstone community, there will be fitness totem poles dotted along the waterway so residents can track their workouts, and a recently installed giant jumping pillow is enticing the young and the young at heart to get active.

At Stockland’s communities, free community fitness programs have been launched.

“Organised fitness programs serve the dual purpose of improving health and allowing people to get to know their neighbours,” Mr Davis said.

At Stockland’s Highlands estate, in Craigieburn, a weekly 5km run is held for residents after the developer formed a partnership with community group Parkrun. “Up to 100 people now take part in the event each Saturday morning,” Mr Davis said.

Healthy mind

Of course, the mental health of residents is just as important to wellbeing as physical fitness.

At the Somerfield development, in Keysborough, Intrapac Property has spent the past three years helping to create the Somerfield Social Club.

“With the help of resident volunteers, we run a series of events that provide wellbeing and a sense of connectedness for residents,” Mr Shifman said.

“The club has been a resounding success, with many of the events becoming regular staples on the community calendar.”

Feedback for the future

Communal facilities at Woodlea estate include a basketball play area and play equipment.

A HEALTH and wellbeing project has recently been launched at Woodlea estate to ensure residents’ lifestyle and fitness needs are met.

The interactive wellbeing study will survey the needs of the Rockbank community each year via an interactive technology booth that will prompt residents to respond to visual, written and interactive stimuli around the topics of health, wellbeing, community connectivity and sense of safety within the estate.

Fun times beckon at Woodlea estate’s adventure playground.

In addition, 15 Woodlea families will be interviewed once a year for five years to evaluate how their needs and views have changed as the community develops.

The data from the study, which is being run with the Queensland University of Technology, will be used to make future decisions in the areas of infrastructure, amenity, masterplanning, governance and community health

The program was launched in October as part of Woodlea’s Smart Community initiative, which focuses on three pillars: smart wellbeing, smart learning and smart safety.

Woodlea is one of Melbourne’s most popular residential areas, with about 20,000 people expected to call it home by the time it is complete.

Nearly every home within Woodlea will be within 200m of a park or reserve and some 30 per cent of the community will be dedicated to open spaces, with an extensive network of walking and cycling paths.

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